Mette M Berger

University of Lausanne | UNIL

Purpose Parenteral nutrition (PN) is an established therapy when oral/enteral feeding is not sufficient or is contraindicated, but nevertheless PN remains a complex, high-alert medication that is susceptible to errors that may affect patient safety. Over time, considerable progress has been made to make PN practices safer. The purpose of this artic...

Purpose This article is based on presentations and discussions held at the International Safety and Quality of Parenteral Nutrition (PN) Summit concerning the acute care setting. Some European practices presented in this article do not conform with USP general chapter <797> requirements. Nevertheless, the purpose is to cover the challenges experien...

Purpose The International Safety and Quality of Parenteral Nutrition (PN) Summit consisted of presentations, discussions, and formulation of consensus statements. The purpose here is to briefly summarize the summit and to present the consensus statements. Summary There was a high degree of consensus, with all statements approved by all authors/sum...

Purpose This article is based on presentations and discussions held at the International Safety and Quality of Parenteral Nutrition (PN) Summit (held November 8-10, 2021, at Charleston, SC, and Bad Homburg, Germany) and aims to raise awareness concerning unresolved issues associated with the PN process and potential future directions, including a g...

Background: Trace elements are an essential component of metabolism and medical nutrition therapy, with key roles in metabolic pathways, antioxidation, and immunity, which the present course aims at summarizing. Results: Medical nutrition therapy includes the provision of all essential trace elements. The clinical essential issues are summarized f...

Purpose of review The essential micronutrients are corner stones in the functional and physical development. Early deficiency has life-long consequences. While awareness about iron deficiency is relatively high, it remains lower for other micronutrients. This review aims at reporting on recent data and attracting attention to the high prevalence of...

Le déficit nutritionnel chez les patients de réanimation ne se limite pas à l’énergie et aux protéines, il intéresse également les micronutriments (MN). Les vitamines C, D et B1, le cuivre, le fer, le sélénium et le zinc sont les plus critiques. Souvent soumis au stress oxydant et/ou à l’inflammation, ces patients présentent des particularités (co...

The optimal feeding strategy for critically ill patients is still debated, but feeding must be adapted to individual patient needs. Critically ill patients are at risk of muscle catabolism, leading to loss of muscle mass and its consequent clinical impacts. Timing of introduction of feeding and protein targets have been explored in recent trials. T...

La nutrición parenteral (NP) es una técnica de nutrición inventada en la década de 1960, que ha salvado la vida de pacientes que presentaban formas graves de insuficiencia o falla gastrointestinal. El desarrollo de esta técnica requirió creatividad, multidisciplinariedad y tecnología. La NP inicialmente se denominó hiperalimentación, ya que sus pri...

Abstract Personalization of ICU nutrition is essential to future of critical care. Recommendations from American/European guidelines and practice suggestions incorporating recent literature are presented. Low-dose enteral nutrition (EN) or parenteral nutrition (PN) can be started within 48 h of admission. While EN is preferred route of delivery, ne...

Following the new ESPEN Standard Operating Procedures, the previous 2019 guideline to provide best medical nutritional therapy to critically ill patients has been shortened and partially revised. Following this update, we propose this publication as a practical guideline based on the published scientific guideline, but shortened and illustrated by...

Purpose of review: Numerous micronutrients are involved in antioxidant and immune defence, while their blood concentrations are frequently low in critically ill patients: this has fuelled many supplementation trials. Numerous observational, randomized studies have been published, which are presented herein. Recent findings: Micronutrient concent...

Introduction: Drug-induced toxidermia is an idiosyncratic adverse skin reaction that may become life-threatening in a small portion of patients, requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. The treatment recommendations are extrapolated from those of major burns, while prospective data remain sparse. The objective was to observe the application...

Introduction: Some micronutrients have key roles in immune defence, including mucosal defence mechanisms and immunoglobulin production. Altered micronutrient status has been linked with COVID-19 infection and disease severity. We assessed the associations of selected circulating micronutrients with anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgA seropositivity in the...

Background: The trajectory from healthy to critical illness is influenced by numerous factors, including metabolism, which differs substantially between males and females. Whole body protein breakdown is substantially increased in critically ill patients, but it remains unclear whether there are sex differences that could explain the different hea...

Assessment of micronutrient (MN) status is of particular importance in patients who require medical nutrition therapy, especially those requiring parenteral nutrition. Blood testing is generally the only tool available in clinical settings to assess MN status. However, using plasma or serum concentration faces pitfalls mainly because of the impact...

Objectives The Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) has been described in intensive care (ICU) survivors, being present in 50% of patients surviving 12 months, with well-defined risk factors. Severely burned patients combine many of these risk factors, but the prevalence of PICS has not yet been documented in burns. The study aimed to answer this qu...

Background β−hydroxy-β−methylbutyrate (HMB) might improve muscle function and maintain its mass in critically ill patients. We aimed to investigate whether the administration of HMB influenced the plasma levels of growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), C-peptide, and 25-OH vitamin-D. Methods Post-hoc analysis of the study HMB-IC...

A multidisciplinary group of international physicians involved in the medical nutrition therapy (MNT) of adult critically ill patients met to discuss the value, role, and open questions regarding supplemental parenteral nutrition (SPN) along with oral or enteral nutrition (EN), particularly in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. This manuscript...

Background and Objectives: Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) is one of the most frequent neuromuscular complications in critically ill patients. We conducted a global survey to evaluate the current practices of diagnostics, treatment and prevention in patients with ICU-AW. Materials and Methods: A pre-survey was created with internatio...

The present chapter aims at raising the awareness about: The frequent prevalence of the geriatric syndrome, which includes frailty, sarcopenia and malnutrition. The importance of a very early screening upon ICU admission. The importance of assessing the remaining muscle mass (lean body mass). The existing tools for determination of energy, protein...

Background & Aims Major burns develop acute trace element (TE) deficiencies due to exudative losses of copper, selenium, and zinc from the wounds. A repletion strategy has been shown to decrease infectious and surgical complications. The TE doses have been adapted over time and the last adaptation, was not followed by the expected changes. The stud...

Objective: Botulism is a very rare disease in Switzerland, with less than one case per year, an incidence of 0.01 cases for 100,000 inhabitants. Indeed, over the past ten years, 9 cases have been reported to Public Health registry. Foodborne botulism (FB) is caused by ingestion of preformed botulinum neurotoxin. Characteristic features should be r...

The immune system is weakened by advancing age, often referred to as immunosenescence, increasing the vulnerability to, and frequently the severity of, infectious diseases in older people. This has become very apparent in the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic for which older people are at higher risk of severe outcomes, even thos...

Background & Aims The new indirect calorimeter developed in the framework of the ICALIC project was first evaluated in ventilation mode. This second phase aimed to compare its ease of use and precision with another commonly used device in spontaneously breathing adult patients using a canopy hood or a face mask. Methods The time required to measur...

The world has entered the third year of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Vaccination is the primary public health strategy to protect against infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in addition to other measures, such as mask wearing and social distancing. Vaccination has reduced COVID-19 severi...

Purpose of review: Gastrointestinal failure is a polymorphic syndrome with multiple causes. Managing the different situations from a practical, metabolic, and nutritional point of view is challenging, which the present review will try to address. Recent findings: Acute gastrointestinal injury (AGI) has been defined and has evolved into a concept...

Background Trace elements and vitamins, named together micronutrients (MNs), are essential for human metabolism. Recent research has shown the importance of MNs in common pathologies, with significant deficiencies impacting the outcome. Objective This guideline aims to provide information for daily clinical nutrition practice regarding assessment...

With extended life expectancy, the older population is constantly increasing, and consequently, so too is the prevalence of age-related disorders. Sarcopenia, the pathological age-related loss of muscle mass and function; and malnutrition, the imbalance in nutrient intake and resultant energy production, are both commonly occurring conditions in ol...

Rationale: Little is known about metabolic and nutritional characteristics of COVID-19 patients with persistent critical illness. We aimed to compare those characteristics in PCI patients with (COVID) and without (non-CO) COVID-19 infection, and primarily their energy balance. Methods: Prospective observational study including two consecutive co...

The indications and contraindications of parenteral nutrition (PN) are discussed in view of recent clinical findings. For decades, PN has been restricted to patients unable to tolerate enteral nutrition (EN) intake owing to the perceived risk of severe side-effects. The evolution of the PN substrate composition and delivery of nutrition via all-in-...

The preferential use of the oral/enteral route in critically ill patients over gut rest is uniformly recommended and applied. This article provides practical guidance on enteral nutrition in compliance with recent American and European guidelines. Low-dose enteral nutrition can be safely started within 48 h after admission, even during treatment wi...

Background & Aims Critically ill patients requiring prolonged intensive care (ICU) treatment are at high risk of malnutrition, which latter contributes to worsening outcome. Having observed that despite the presence of a nutrition protocol and dieticians, the patients with persistent critical illness (PerCI) had been underfed during their ICU stay...

Introduction Coagulation disorders occur during the first 48 hours after major burn injury, affecting mainly PT/INR and aPTT. Some authors consider them burn specific. The aim was to assess the magnitude of coagulation disorders during the first 10 days after severe burn injury and its eventual association with fluid intakes. Methods Retrospective...

Background: Burn patients characteristically have increased energy, glucose and protein requirements. Glutamine supplementation is strongly recommended during early phase treatment and is associated with improved immunity, wound healing, and reduced mortality. This study evaluated if early burn exudative losses might contribute to higher supplemen...

Purpose Muscle wasting deteriorates life quality after critical illness and increases mortality. Wasting starts upon admission to intensive care unit (ICU). We aimed to determine whether β−hydroxy-β−methylbutyrate (HMB), a metabolite of leucine, can attenuate this process. Methods Prospective randomized, placebo-controlled double blind trial. Incl...

Introduction Regulation of endogenous glucose production (EGP) is essential for glucose homeostasis. It includes gluconeogenesis (GNG) from non-carbohydrate substrates and hepatic glycogenolysis. Both these pathways are dysregulated in acute stress, but the magnitude of this deregulation cannot be assessed in clinical practice. The study aims at id...

Purpose of review: Malnutrition is frequent in patients with acute kidney injury. Nutrient clearance during renal replacement therapy (RRT) potentially contributes to this complication. Although losses of amino acid, trace elements and vitamins have been described, there is no clear guidance regarding the role of micronutrient supplementation. Re...

Background: The treatment and management of massive burns, defined as burns affecting≥ 50% of total body surface area (TBSA) has considerably changed since the 90s. This study aimed at analyzing if the length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, the success of skin grafting operations and the mortality changed in the last 18 years. Methods: Betwee...

Background & aims Hypophosphatemia (HypoP) is associated with organ dysfunction and mortality. Despite its potential severe consequences, HypoP remains poorly characterized in terms of real prevalence and timing of onset. The primary objective was to determine the prevalence of HypoP defined as blood phosphate <0.8 and < 0.65 mmol/l on one particu...

Amino acid (AA) metabolism is severely disturbed in critically ill ICU patients. To be able to make a more scientifically based decision of when and in which protein and AA composition to deliver in ICU, comprehensive AA phenotyping with measurements of plasma concentrations and whole body production (WBP) is needed. Therefore, we studied ICU patie...

Background The enormous health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has refocused attention on measures to optimize immune function and vaccine response. Dietary deficiencies of micronutrients can weaken adaptive immunity. The aim of this review was to examine links between micronutrients, immune function and COVID-19 infection, with a focus on nutritio...

Background Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is associated with micronutrients loss. Current recommendations are to administer 1-1.5 g/kg/day of proteins during CRRT. We aim to evaluate the net effect of CRRT on amino acids (AA), vitamins A and C (Vit A, Vit C) levels. Methods This is a prospective observational study embedded within a r...

Purpose of review: Micronutrients have essential antioxidant and immune functions, while low blood concentrations are frequently observed in critically ill patients. This has led to the concepts of complementation, repletion, or even pharmacological supplementation. Over the last three decades, many clinical studies have tested the latter strategy...

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is frequent in the critically ill but can be overlooked as a result of the lack of standardization of the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. We aimed to develop a research agenda for GI dysfunction for future research. We systematically reviewed the current knowledge on a broad range of subtopics f...

Background and aims Hypophosphatemia (HypoP) is associated with organ dysfunction and mortality. Despite its potential severe consequences, HypoP remains poorly characterized in terms of real prevalence and timing of onset. The primary objective was to determine the prevalence of HypoP defined as blood phosphate <0.8 and <0.65 mmol/l on one particu...

Background & aims Phosphate is the main intracellular anion essential for numerous biological processes. Symptoms of hypophosphatemia are non-specific, yet potentially life-threatening. This systematic review process was initiated to gain a global insight into hypophosphatemia, associated morbidity and treatments. Methods A systematic review was c...

Background Appropriate nutritional support is a key component of care for critically ill patients. While malnutrition increases complications, impacting long term outcomes and healthcare-related costs, uncertainties persist regarding optimal provision of nutritional support in this setting. Methods An international group of healthcare providers (H...

Purpose of review: In critical care, micronutrients remain perceived as 'quantum' part, that is, a little pertinent component of therapy. Some micronutrients have attracted more attention because of their antioxidant properties. During the last decade, some large size trials have tested their therapeutic potential, generally as 'single high-dose mi...

Critically ill (ICU) patients are characterized organ failure, intense inflammatory response, insulin resistance, and altered metabolic response. The sicker the patient, the higher the threat to the nutritional and micronutrient status will be. In addition many patients start the ICU stay with an altered nutritional status, which requires assessmen...

Background: Phosphate is the main intracellular anion essential for numerous biological processes. Symptoms of hypophosphataemia are non-specific, yet potentially life-threatening. This systematic review process was initiated to gain a global insight into hypophosphataemia, associated morbidity and treatments. Methods: A systematic review was condu...

Background and aims Optimal nutritional therapy, including the individually adapted provision of energy, is associated with better clinical outcomes. Indirect calorimetry is the best tool to measure and monitor energy expenditure and hence optimize the energy prescription. Similarly to other medical techniques, indications and contra-indications mu...

Background and Aims Despite the presumed importance of preventing and treating micronutrient and mineral deficiencies, it is still not clear how to optimize measurement and administration in critically ill patients. In order to design future comparative trials aimed at optimizing micronutrient and mineral management, an important first step is to g...

Background & aims: The ICALIC project was initiated for developing an accurate, reliable and user friendly indirect calorimeter (IC) and aimed at evaluating its ease of use and the feasibility of the EE measurements in intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: This was a prospective unblinded, observational, multi-center study. Simultaneous IC measure...

Purpose of review: Mitochondrial dysfunction seems to be the common denominator of several critical care conditions and particularly of sepsis. Faced with relative failure, and limited progress of sepsis therapies aiming at blocking some oxidative and/or inflammatory pathways, the question of antioxidants micronutrient therapy, particularly of sel...

In Switzerland 'Secret' is a folk medicine called upon for burns. It has belonged to UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage since 2012. It is supposed to ease pain and accelerate the healing process of burns. As the practice is widely used in the population, this observational study investigated the opinion of caregivers and patients from the Nation...

Indirect calorimetry (IC) is considered as the gold standard to determine energy expenditure, by measuring pulmonary gas exchanges. It is a non-invasive technique that allows clinicians to personalize the prescription of nutrition support to the metabolic needs and promote a better clinical outcome. Recent technical developments allow accurate and...